spouse & family program

Our plan is to meet and organize at 9:30 AM at the Caribou Coffee Kiosk area on Monday.

monday, june 11

twin cities highlight tour (10a - 2:30p)

During this three-hour tour, our guide will provide commentary on the downtowns of Minneapolis, Saint Paul and surrounding areas. Minneapolis is filled with exciting attractions, events, restaurants, clubs, shopping, culture, sports, recreation and entertainment that is unsurpassed in the Midwest. While in Minneapolis, we will explore the famous Nicollet Mall, Skyway network, theater district, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Guthrie Theatre, Milwaukee Train Depot, Orchestra Hall, the television home of Mary Tyler Moore, and St. Anthony Falls, the birthplace of Minneapolis.

A short stop will be made at Minnehaha Falls to see Minnesota’s oldest tourist attraction. This is where the twenty-two mile Minnehaha Creek, which flows from Lake Minnetonka through the western suburbs of Minneapolis and into the city, dives over the falls and into the Mississippi River. The fifty-three foot falls have been immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Song of Hiawatha” and are visited by thousands of tourists and locals every year.

Mickey's Diner PHOTO BY: AlexiusHoratius (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Our next destination is Saint Paul, Minnesota’s charming historic capitol city. Magnificent Art Deco and Victorian reminders of the past nestle next to sleek skyscrapers, giving this Capitol City an Old World charm. While in Saint Paul we will explore Rice Park, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, Landmark Center, Children’s Museum, Mickey’s Diner, The Fitzgerald Theater, Minnesota History Center, and the Minnesota State Capitol, considered the second most beautiful capitol building in the United States, after Utah. We will see the magnificent Cathedral of Saint Paul, the fourth largest cathedral in the United States with seating for 3,000 people. Built in the Classical Renaissance style of architecture, the Cathedral dome is modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

We will drive along Summit Avenue, one of the longest stretches of virtually uninterrupted Victorian architecture in the United States. This monumental boulevard of homes, churches, synagogues and schools attracts tourists and natives alike who stroll past its architectural curiosities and landmarks. Streets like Summit Avenue were not uncommon in the 19th century, but in most American cities, these thoroughfares have completely lost their character to progress, except in Saint Paul. Some homes to note along Summit Avenue are the James J. Hill House, the home of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Governor’s Mansion. Actual tour duration is 4 - 4½ hours, which includes an "On-Your-Own" lunch stop. Included with registration. Limited to 62 seats.

tuesday, june 12

Meet at 9:30 AM at the Caribou Coffee Kiosk. Light Rail maps, visitor and tour information will be available. There is a small fee ($1.75 non-rush hour) for Light Rail travel.

wednesday, june 13

Wednesday tours are open to all registrants, guests, spouses and families. This is also the Minnesota Zoo day which is covered by the Spouse/Child/Guest registration, so you can spend all day at the Zoo if you wish.

PLEASE NOTE: Admission fees to all attractions other than the Zoo are on your own.